We Must Have a Aircraft to Search For Them’: Adolescent’s Urgent Plea to Save Relatives Adrift Off Aussie Coast Unveiled

“We became disoriented out there,” young Austin Appelbee tells the 000 call handler, after swimming four kilometres in treacherous, open water and sprinting two kilometres to summon rescue for his kin.

The operator inquires how much time has gone by since he set off.

“[It] was ages past … I think they’re kilometres out to sea. I think we require a helicopter to search for them,” he says.

Emergency services have disclosed the recorded plea made last month after the youth left his relatives drifting at sea off the West Australian coast to seek assistance.

His demeanour remains steady and composed, even as he voices his concern for his kin.

“I don’t know what their state is right now, and I’m terrified,” he informs the person on the line.

“Mum said to find rescue … We were in serious danger.”

The Dangerous Incident

The mother and children had been pulled 4km out to sea in stormy conditions while kayaking and paddleboarding.

His parent urged him to use his craft and get assistance, so the boy set off, ditching first his sinking craft then his cumbersome lifejacket to cover the remaining stretch.

After reaching land – following a four-hour swim – he ran for 2km to access a cell phone.

“Hello, my name is Austin … I have two siblings, Beau and Grace. Beau is 12 and Grace is eight,” he explains the call handler.

“I’m sitting on the beach right now, and I have to also add – I think I need an medical help because I think I have exposure … I’m really, I’m utterly fatigued. I have heatstroke, and I feel like I’m about to collapse.”

A Getaway in Peril

The group was on a break in Quindalup, 200km south of Perth. They departed from Geographe Bay some time after 10am on a Friday in late January.

The parent later recalled that they were enjoying themselves when the young ones “drifted further than intended”. The breeze strengthened, they dropped their paddles, and started floating away.

“It pretty much all went wrong very, very quickly,” she noted.

The parent also spoke of having to make “an incredibly tough choice” to instruct her son to swim ashore.

“I knew he was the best swimmer and he had the ability to succeed,” she commented.

The Search Operation

The youth recalled being “very puffed out”.

“I just pressed on, I do the breaststroke, I do freestyle, I do a floating stroke,” he said.

The call for help was made at around 6pm.

At roughly 8.30pm, ten hours after they first began, the family were found and brought to safety. They had drifted about fourteen kilometres out to sea.

The audio was made public with the family’s permission.

A forward commander who managed the rescue mission said the family was in an “incredibly perilous state”.

“They were in serious jeopardy, and time was extremely pressing given how much time they had been in the water and with light running out.

“What Austin did was truly remarkable. His fortitude and resolve in those conditions were astonishing, and his actions were pivotal in bringing about a successful outcome.”

The sergeant also commended how the youth effectively communicated critical information.

When asked to identify the equipment for the search crew, the boy replied: “They were coloured green and white.”

“And I’m not sure if it’s there, but they had this fishing line, and there was a fish hooked. Since we hooked one.”